Our self-identify can be based on many things, including gender, sex, or sexual orientation; religion or creed; race, color, or ethnicity, regional or national background; class, status, or culture; and so on. Sometimes a person’s self-worth can be tied to a misconstrued sense of the value of his or her background. In an essay of 800 words, write an essay using at least three of the following short stories examining the damaging effects that a misplaced sense of value can have on a person’s self-worth.

• Toni Cade Bambara, "The Lesson."
• Alice Munro, “Boys and Girls”
• Flannery O’Connor, “Revelation”
• Amy Tan, “Two Kinds”
• Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”
• Richard Wright, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”

Requirements

• Length: Your essay must be a minimum of 800 words.
• Documentation Format: You must include an MLA formatted Works Cited page that includes correctly formatted internal citations for the stories and the additional resources.
• Sources: You are restricted to the assigned short stories. Do not use any other source material. Your essay is based on your own close reading and analysis of the works.
• Format: The essay must be in MSWord format (.doc or .docx)

Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the author page number for the stories. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 800 words.

The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the novel (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the stories); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.For this essay, students may use a dictionary to help with words with which they are not familiar but should not refer to the dictionary definitions in the essay. Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the author and line number for the poems and author or authors for any articles or other resources. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.

Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 900 words.The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the poems (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the poems); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.